Russia escalated its war against Ukraine

Russia launched a major drone and missile attack against Ukraine yesterday, soon after President Trump sharply criticized President Vladimir Putin for taking “meaningless” steps toward peace.

Ukraine’s air force said that Russia launched 728 exploding drones and decoys, a barrage that set a single-night record and underscored Ukraine’s need for weapons. Trump, who just last week paused arms shipments to Ukraine, said on Monday that the U.S. would resume them because the country was “getting hit very hard.”

Putin’s calculation: Trump’s newly harsh tone has had little effect on Russia’s escalation. Kremlin sources say that Putin is convinced that Russia’s battlefield superiority is growing and that Ukraine’s defenses may collapse in the coming months. “He will not sacrifice his goals in Ukraine for the sake of improving relations with Trump,” an expert said.

Penalties: The top Senate Republican said that momentum was building toward a vote on a bill to impose sanctions on countries that purchase Russian oil.